This chapter explains the concept of enterprise distribution and provides the step-by-step instructions guiding you to use Mobile Application Archive (MAA) files to distribute mobile apps to internal users on an internal corporate location. It includes the following topics:
What is enterprise distribution?
It is the distribution of apps to mobile users through an enterprise-controlled location rather than through a public app store, such as Apple App Store or Google Play.
This capability allows enterprises to achieve the following main objectives, available from Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 4.0:
Version control
Enterprises can control the version of the client apps that their enterprise users install on their mobile devices.
Corporate branding
Enterprises can have the option to replace the standard Oracle logos with their own company logos.
See: Customizing Mobile Apps for Corporate Branding (Optional).
Push notifications
Starting from Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 7.0 and onwards, enterprises can have the option to enable and send push notifications to the mobile devices of their enterprise users when using Oracle Mobile Cloud Service or using Oracle Mobile Hub from Release 9.0 and onwards. This feature is available for selected apps only. See Implementing Push Notifications.
Note: Starting from Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 9.0 and onwards, Oracle Mobile Hub provides support for push notifications through Patch 33404902:R12.FND.C for Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2, and Patch 33404902:R12.FND.B for Oracle E-Business Suite 12.1.3.
Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps allow you to perform certain customization; however, any additional changes beyond the content described in this book may not be supported.
With this capability, enterprise users can download the apps directly from an enterprise's internal location, such as an enterprise's own site, not from a public app store. Additionally, enterprises can only distribute these apps to their internal enterprise users through internal locations. These apps cannot be redistributed to a public app store or third-party users.
To accomplish these goals, Oracle E-Business Suite provides Mobile Application Archive (MAA) files for Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps. Enterprises can use these MAA files for customization as allowed, generate their own application binaries such as iOS application bundle (.ipa) or Android application package (.apk), and deploy them to their own sites.
Oracle delivers mobile application archive (MAA) files for Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps to enable changes for enterprise distribution.
An MAA file is an application archive that allows developers to use Oracle Mobile Application Framework (Oracle MAF) to customize the app and generate the enterprise version of the app to meet enterprise needs.
Important: Oracle will provide technical support for issues that can be reproduced with MAA files delivered from Oracle and modified as documented in this book. When Oracle makes changes or provides fixes for the mobile apps, the updates will be delivered as new MAA files, and you will need to reapply your changes to the latest files.
Oracle provides MAA files for most Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps, including:
Mobile apps built with Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation
Mobile apps available in Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Release 9.1
You can download the MAA files of the corresponding apps available in this release through My Oracle Support.
See: Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive for Release 9.1.
Mobile apps available in Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Release 9.1 and earlier
For mobile apps available in Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Release 9.1 and earlier, you can download the associated MAA files through the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud. See: Mobile Application Archives for Earlier Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Releases.
For downloading discontinued Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps, see:
Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle E-Business Suite (MSCA)
The associated MAA file for MSCA is available together with other mobile apps built with Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation 9.1. You can download the MAA file through Patch 32353571 available through My Oracle Support.
See: Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive for Release 9.1.
Note that the information described in this chapter applies for mobile apps developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation. It also applies for the MSCA app with some exceptions where noted. For information on creating an enterprise version of the MSCA app, see Creating an Enterprise-Distributed App for Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle E-Business Suite.
Oracle Mobile Expenses for Oracle E-Business Suite (known as Oracle Fusion Expenses on the Apple App Store and Google Play)
Oracle delivers MAA file for this app. For more information about this app, see My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1625446.1.
For information on creating enterprise-distributed mobile apps through the MAA files, see Creating Mobile Apps through MAA Files for Enterprise Distribution.
After setting up the development environment as described in the previous chapter, you can perform the following tasks to create enterprise-distributed apps from the mobile application archives:
For information on creating an enterprise-distributed app for Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle E-Business Suite, see Creating an Enterprise-Distributed App for Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle E-Business Suite (MSCA).
Once a development environment is set up on the client side, you can download the MAA files and create an application from a downloaded MAA file.
To better understand each task performed on the client side, this section includes the following topics:
Use the following steps to download Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive (.maa) files, along with consolidated server-side patches, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation, and Oracle Mobile Application Framework 2.6.3 for Oracle EBusiness Suite Mobile Foundation Release 9.1.
Important: Oracle is discontinuing selected Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps. To download the corresponding MAA files for these discontinued apps for enterprise distribution and corporate branding, see: Discontinued Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps in Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 9.1 Software Distribution and Discontinued Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps in Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 7.0 Software Distribution.
Log in to the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud (https://edelivery.oracle.com/
) page.
Click the Sign In button.
You are now signed in to the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud.
If you do not have an Oracle account, click the New User? Register Here link instead to create one.
On the Oracle Service Delivery Cloud page, perform the following tasks:
Select "Release" from the drop-down list.
In the text field, enter "Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive".
The search results display the software distributions that meet your criteria. Click the Select button to choose your desired software distribution from the populated package list. This action adds the selected package to the cart.
For example, select "Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 9.1".
Click the View Items link.
This displays the selected "Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 9.1" software distribution.
Click the Continue button.
Platform/Language: Select a desired platform, such as Linux x86-64 bit.
Click the Continue button and accept the Oracle Standard Terms and Restrictions.
You must do so before you can download the desired media pack.
Click the Continue button again.
This retrieves the download window with your selected software distribution.
To download the Mobile Application Archive (.maa) files for the apps developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation 9.1, including both current and discontinued apps, select and download the "Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 9.1" software distribution with part number V1031711-01
.
See: Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive Files for Release 9.1.
To download the Mobile Application Archive (.maa) files for the discontinued apps developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation 7.0, select and download the "Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 7.0" software distribution with part number V861706-01
.
For information on downloading mobile application archives files for earlier Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation releases, see Mobile Application Archives for Earlier Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Releases.
This "Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 9.1" software distribution (V1031711-01
) is delivered in zip files. You should download the zip files to obtain the needed components for enterprise distribution and custom app development.
Note: This software distribution also contains the Mobile Application Archive file for Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle EBusiness Suite (MSCA), although this app is not developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation.
This software distribution contains the following components:
Consolidated server-side prerequisite patches
For information about these server-side patches for the apps developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation and Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle E-Business Suite (MSCA), see the Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation and Mobile Application Archive Release 9.1 Readme, included in this software distribution. Additionally, see Applying Prerequisite Patches on the Oracle E-Business Suite Server, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Administrator's Guide, Release 12.1 and 12.2.
Oracle Mobile Application Framework 2.6.3 for Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 9.1
To work with downloaded Mobile Application Archive files, you need to use this Oracle MAF version 2.6.3 that is included in this software distribution. You can also download this MAF version from My Oracle Support through Patch 31581902.
Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation package, for enabling custom app development for Oracle E-Business Suite
For information about the Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation package and how to use it to develop custom apps, see Using the Login Component to Develop Mobile Apps.
Mobile Application Archive (.maa) files delivered in zip files, along with the app-specific readme for each Oracle E-Business Suite mobile app included in this software distribution
You can use the app-specific MAA file to customize the app for enterprise distribution and corporate branding, and then distribute the updated version of the app to your users through your enterprise's own site rather than a public app store.
The following table lists the MAA file information associated with each Oracle E-Business Suite mobile app:
Important: Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps may republish updated MAA files after a general availability release if necessary. Before downloading the MAA files listed in the following table from this software distribution, you should review the corresponding product release notes first to check for any updated MAA information. For information about product release notes, refer to My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1641772.1, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps, Release 12.1 and 12.2 Documentation Index.
Note: These MAA files built with Oracle Mobile Application Framework 2.6.3 for Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 9.1 are also available for download through the associated patches from My Oracle Support.
Mobile App Name | Associated MAA Patch | Associated MAA File |
---|---|---|
Oracle Mobile Approvals for Oracle E-Business Suite (Footnote 1) |
Patch 32345543 | p32345543_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Discrete Production Supervisor for Oracle E-Business Suite (Footnote 2) |
Patch 32358556 | p32358556_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Inventory for Oracle E-Business Suite (Footnote 2) |
Patch 32348102 | p32348102_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Learning for Oracle E-Business Suite (Footnote 2) |
Patch 32336727 | p32336727_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Maintenance for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32365883 | p32365883_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Person Directory for Oracle E-Business Suite (Footnote 2) |
Patch 32338590 | p32338590_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Process Production Supervisor for Oracle E-Business Suite (Footnote 2) |
Patch 32359457 | p32359457_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile iProcurement for Oracle E-Business Suite (Footnote 2) |
Patch 32391756 | p32391756_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Sales Orders for Oracle E-Business Suite (Footnote 2) |
Patch 32353121 | p32353121_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Self-Service Human Resources for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32338602 | p32338602_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Timecards for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32336857 | p32336857_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Yard for Oracle E-Business Suite (Footnote 2) |
Patch 32353578 | p32353578_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Supply Chain for Oracle E-Business Suite (Footnote 3) |
Patch 32353571 | p32353571_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Footnote 1: If you plan to distribute the Approvals app through enterprise distribution from the associated MAA file, you can optionally enable push notifications when using Oracle Mobile Hub or Oracle Mobile Cloud Service. For more details about implementing this feature for the mobile app, see Implementing Push Notifications.
Footnote 2: Oracle is discontinuing selected Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps built with Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation 9.1. See: Discontinued Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps in Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 9.1 Software Distribution.
Footnote 3: This software distribution also contains the MAA file for Oracle Mobile Supply Chain for Oracle E-Business Suite, although this app is not built with Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation.
Oracle is discontinuing selected Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps as of November 1, 2022. Oracle will support these apps, but will not deliver any new updates to the apps.
The apps will remain on the Apple App Store and Google Play with the latest client version delivered, as long as technically feasible. Apple and Google may remove apps that no longer meet their technical requirements.
The corresponding MAA files for the latest client version are available on the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud.
Oracle will continue to deliver REST services for selected functionality in these apps for use in custom app development.
Customers who have installed these apps will continue to receive technical support including access to online support tools, knowledge bases, pre-existing fixes, and service request resolution. As of November 1, 2022, error correction support will no longer be available for these apps.
Additionally, Oracle will not certify these apps with any further operating system updates, new devices, or new Oracle E-Business Suite releases after its discontinuation date. Oracle will continue to assist you to the best of our ability; however, we are unable to provide any new fixes.
The following table lists the MAA files for the discontinued Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps as of November 1, 2022.
Mobile App Name | Associated MAA Patch | Associated MAA File |
---|---|---|
Oracle Mobile Discrete Production Supervisor for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32358556 | p32358556_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Inventory for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32348102 | p32348102_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Learning for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32336727 | p32336727_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Person Directory for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32338590 | p32338590_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Process Production Supervisor for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32359457 | p32359457_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile iProcurement for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32391756 | p32391756_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Sales Orders for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32353121 | p32353121_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Yard for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 32353578 | p32353578_R12_GENERIC.zip |
For instructions on downloading these discontinued apps contained in Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 9.1 Software Distribution, see Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive Files for Release 9.1.
Oracle is discontinuing selected Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps as of August 3, 2018. Oracle will support these apps, but will not deliver any new updates to the apps.
The apps will remain on the Apple App Store and Google Play with the latest client version delivered, as long as technically feasible. Apple and Google may remove apps that no longer meet their technical requirements.
Customers who have installed this app will continue to receive technical support including access to online support tools, knowledge bases, pre-existing fixes, and service request resolution. As of August 3, 2018, error correction support will no longer be available for this app.
Additionally, Oracle will not certify this app with any further operating system updates, new devices, or new Oracle E-Business Suite releases after its discontinuation date. Oracle will continue to assist you to the best of our ability; however, we are unable to provide any new fixes.
For more information about these discontinued apps, see the Discontinued Oracle E-Business Mobile Apps section in Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps, Release 12.1 and 12.2 Documentation Index, My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 1641772.1.
Downloading the "Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 7.0" Software Distribution
Follow the instructions described earlier to download the software distribution from the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud. In step 3, select "Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 7.0" (V861706-01
) software distribution instead.
Similar to the "Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 9.1" software distribution described earlier, this software distribution contains the following components:
Consolidated server-side prerequisite patches
Oracle Mobile Application Framework 2.4.0 for Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 7.0
Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation package, for enabling custom app development for Oracle E-Business Suite
Mobile Application Archive (.maa) files delivered in zip files, along with the app-specific readme for each Oracle E-Business Suite mobile app included in this software distribution
The following table lists only the associated MAA files for the discontinued apps described in this section.
Mobile App Name | Associated MAA Patch | Associated MAA File |
---|---|---|
Oracle Mobile Discrete Quality Manager for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 26160018 | p26160018_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Process Quality Manager for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 26180810 | p26180810_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Procurement for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 26197483 | p26197483_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Product Information for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 25949274 | p25949274_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Project Manufacturing for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 25933918 | p25933918_R12_GENERIC.zip |
Oracle Mobile Project Manager for Oracle E-Business Suite | Patch 25949676 | p25949676_R12_GENERIC.zip |
For more information about this "Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Application Archive 7.0" software distribution and the included components described above, see Mobile Application Archives for Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 7.0.
Use the following steps to create a MAF application by importing a downloaded MAA file:
In Oracle JDeveloper, choose File and then New.
In the New Gallery, choose Applications and then MAF Application from Archive File and click OK.
Alternatively, choose File, then File Import, and then select MAF Application from Archive File.
In the Location page, choose Browse in the MAA File field to locate the .maa file (such as "iProcurement_Archive.maa") to be imported in the Select MAA File to Import page. Click Open.
Select MAA File to Import Page
Note: The screenshots in this guide show the appearance of the pages on a Mac system. The look and feel may vary on a PC.
The selected iProcurement_Archive.maa file is displayed in the MAA File field.
Perform the following steps if needed or accept the default values in the Location page:
MAF Application from Archive: Location Page
In the Application File field, enter a name of the mobile application derived from .maa file, such as "XXX_iProcurement".
In the Directory field, click Browse to retrieve the directory of the mobile application.
Click Next.
Review the import summary information and then click Finish.
A new MAF application is created.
For information on creating an unsigned application and what happens after importing an MAA file, refer to Creating Unsigned Deployment Packages, Developing Mobile Applications with Oracle Mobile Application Framework.
For enterprise distribution, even if no change is planned to an MAA file but simply distribute the associated app to an enterprise's own site, it is still required to make certain changes to the app. For example, the Application Bundle Id must be unique for each app installed on an iOS or Android device, although the app content itself is exactly the same.
Specifically, you need to update the MAF application with the following required changes:
Changing Application Bundle Id is internal to an app, but it helps technically differentiate an enterprise app from a public one in the backend.
Instructions to Change the Application Bundle Id
Perform the following steps to change the Application Bundle Id:
Open Oracle JDeveloper.
In the Applications Navigator, expand the Application Resources panel, then the Descriptors folder, and then the ADF META-INF folder.
Double-click the maf-application.xml
file to open the overview editor for the maf-application.xml
file.
For information on the maf-application.xml
file, see About the MAF Application Feature Configuration File, MAF Application and Project Files, Developing Mobile Applications with Oracle Mobile Application Framework.
Overview Editor for the maf-application.xml File
Modify the Id field in the maf-application.xml
file. Do not change any other fields in this file.
Important: For enterprise distribution, the Application Version delivered in the MAA file for each app is prefixed with a letter "E" to indicate this app is created from the MAA file. For example, "E1.8.1" is the Application Version shipped in the MAA file for a seeded app version 1.8.1, built with Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 9.1. This helps distinguish the enterprise-distributed apps from the publicly-distributed ones. This app version information is displayed in the About page for each app.
To keep track of the enterprise app versions used in your company, you must continue to use the version provided in the MAA file, but you can add additional decimals at the end of the version.
Standard MAA version: E1.8.1
This is the version of the corresponding out-of-the-box apps from pubic stores, but prefixed with a letter "E". In this example, 1.8.1 represents the version of the seeded apps built with Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 9.1.
For Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle E-Business Suite, standard MAA version is E1.4.4.
Suggested customized version: E1.8.1.x.x, such as E1.8.1.1.0
For Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle E-Business Suite, suggested customized version is E1.4.4.x.x, such as E1.4.4.1.0.
Id: Replace the Id with a unique Id to identify the mobile app for enterprise distribution.
The downloaded Oracle E-Business Suite mobile app MAA file contains the Application Bundle Id in the following format: com.company.ebs.<prodfamily>.<product>.<AppName>
For example, the Bundle Id from the MAA file corresponding to Oracle Mobile iProcurement for Oracle E-Business Suite is com.company.ebs.prc.icx.iProcurement
.
In this example, use com.company.ebs.xxxapp.iProcurement
as the Id.
company
- This can be replaced with your company name.
xxxapp
- It indicates to which Oracle E-Business Suite application it belongs.
Important: For mobile apps developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation, the Id value in the maf-application.xml
file is used to download configuration details for the app. Therefore, use this Id as the Application Bundle Id value in the Application Details page when registering an enterprise app on the Oracle E-Business Suite server through the Mobile Applications Manager responsibility. See: Registering and Updating Your Mobile App Definition Metadata. If the registration corresponding to this Id is not found on the server, the associated mobile app cannot connect to that Oracle E-Business Suite instance.
This note does not apply for Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle E-Business Suite.
Administrators use the Application Bundle Id to construct and validate the configuration service URL to ensure the app can be accessible from mobile users. For information on how to construct the configuration service URL using the Application Bundle Id, see Validating the Configuration, Setting Up the Mobile Apps, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Administrator's Guide, Release 12.1 and 12.2.
Additionally, use the Application Bundle Id to help diagnose and troubleshoot any potential issues if occur on a mobile client. See: Enabling Client Logging, Diagnostics and Troubleshooting, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Administrator's Guide, Release 12.1 and 12.2.
Leave the rest of the fields unchanged. Save your work.
The privacy policy change is reflected in the About page of the app. After the change, when a user clicks the link, it should point to your company's privacy policy, not Oracle's Privacy Policy.
Instructions to Change the Privacy Policy Link
Perform the following steps to change the privacy policy URL link:
Open Oracle JDeveloper.
In the Applications Navigator, expand the Application Resources panel, then the Descriptors folder, then the ADF META-INF folder, and then the ebs folder.
Double-click the ebs.properties
file to open it in an editor.
Replace the following privacy policy URL in the ebs.properties
file with your company's policy URL, such as
oracle.ebs.login.branding.privacypolicyurl=http://www.example.com/privacy-policy.html
.
Please note that the downloaded Oracle E-Business Suite mobile app MAA file contains the following dummy URL: http://www.company.com/privacy-policy.html
Privacy Policy URL Property in ebs.properties
Save your work.
The following example shows the revised privacy policy URL link in the About page for the iProcurement app (Oracle Mobile iProcurement for Oracle E-Business Suite) on an iOS device.
In this example, nothing is changed in the app from the associated MAA file except that the privacy policy URL link is changed from pointing to a dummy URL to your company's privacy policy URL.
Privacy Policy Link in the About Page
Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps use role-based access control to allow users who are assigned the appropriate access roles to access Oracle E-Business Suite.
Access roles are set up in the MAF application's ebs.properties
file for each app to validate whether a mobile user has the privileges to access a designated app and connect to Oracle E-Business Suite. Therefore, once mobile app access roles are created in Oracle E-Business Suite, developers need to specify the corresponding access roles in the ebs.properties
file for the mobile apps.
For information on creating the mobile app access roles on the Oracle E-Business Suite server, see Creating Mobile App Access Roles.
Perform the following steps to add the mobile app access roles in the ebs.properties
file:
Open Oracle JDeveloper.
In the Application Navigator, expand the Application Resources panel.
Expand the Descriptors folder node and then the ADF META-INF folder node. Expand the ebs folder node.
Double-click the ebs.properties
file to open it in an editor.
Change the following properties to specify the role that your enterprise app (such as XXX_iProcurement) uses:
oracle.ebs.login.rolecode=<UMX Role Code>
If UMX|XXX_IPROCUREMENT_MBL_ROLE
is a new role created earlier under the custom application called XXX
, then replace <UMX Role Code>
with this role UMX|XXX_IPROCUREMENT_MBL_ROLE
in the property as shown here:
oracle.ebs.login.rolecode=UMX|XXX_IPROCUREMENT_MBL_ROLE
oracle.ebs.login.roleappname=<Application Code>
Replace <Application Code>
with XXX_APP
in the property as shown here:
oracle.ebs.login.roleappname=XXX_APP
Mobile App Access Role Properties in ebs.properties
Save your work.
In addition to the required changes for enterprise app creation, you can further implement corporate branding for the app to establish corporate identity by replacing Oracle logo with your own company logo.
Instructions on replacing Oracle logo with your company and app logos or images are documented in a separate chapter in this book. See: Implementing Corporate Branding.
Note: Please note that functional customization and personalization of the apps modified from MAA files are not supported in this release.
After modifying the required changes for enterprise distribution, you need to prepare the platform-specific deployment profile by editing an existing deployment profile that is associated with the app provided with the MAA file.
Important: If you have customized the mobile app for corporate branding as described in the previous section, you must have already created a new deployment profile. In this situation, skip this step and do not modify an existing deployment profile.
Please note that a deployment profile defines how an app will be deployed to iOS or Android powered devices, iOS simulators, or Android emulators.
Perform the following steps to modify an existing deployment profile for your desired platform:
In the Applications Navigator of Oracle JDeveloper, select and right-click the Application. Choose Application Properties from the selection window.
Oracle JDeveloper Navigation Menu with Application Properties Selected
In the Application Properties window, select the Deployment node from the left pane.
In the Deployment Profiles region, select the deployment profile you want to edit based on the platform and click on the Edit icon.
Note: For each mobile app, there are three deployment profiles delivered with the MAF archives, specifically one for the iOS platform (<AppName>_iOS), another for the Android platform (<AppName>_Android), and the other for the MAA file (<AppName>_Archive).
Application Properties Window with a Selected Deployment Profile
Editing the MAF for iOS Deployment Profile
If the selected deployment profile (such as iProcurement_iOS) is for the iOS platform, the MAF for iOS Deployment Profile Properties page appears.
MAF for iOS Deployment Profile Properties Page
Replace the Application Bundle Id with a unique Id for your app, such as
.com.company.ebs.xxxapp.iProcurement
If you deploy the app to an iOS device, the Application Bundle Id should match the iOS provisioning profile that you receive after registering with Apple's iOS Developer Program.
Note: If the app supports push notifications, such as an enterprise-distributed Approvals app, the Application Bundle Id used here in the iOS deployment profile is also used when creating the iOS mobile client in Oracle Mobile Hub or Oracle Mobile Cloud Service. See: Creating Mobile Clients, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Administrator's Guide, Release 12.1 and 12.2.
For more information about push notifications, see Implementing Push Notifications.
If you deploy the app to an iOS simulator for testing the mobile app, you can use any Application Bundle Id of your choice but you could use the same Application Bundle Id required by the iOS provisioning profile.
The Application Bundle Id is used to package the application binary for iOS. Please note that the Application Bundle Id must be unique for each app installed on an iOS or Android device. Even if the same app has been deployed twice for an enterprise, a different Bundle Id uniquely represents each individual app. For example, one app can be used for production and the other one can be for testing purposes if desired.
Additionally, the Application Bundle Id used here impacts only the application binary packaging and its installation on mobile devices. It does not have any impact on the Oracle E-Business Suite server. For example, you could have packaged two apps with two different Application Bundle Ids in the MAF deployment profiles, such as com.company.ebs.xxxapp.XXiProcurement
and com.company.ebs.xxxapp.YYiProcurement
, but both could have the same Id in the maf-application.xml
file, such as com.company.ebs.xxxapp.iProcurement
. Both apps can be installed on the same mobile device and can connect to the same Oracle E-Business Suite server using single registration on the Oracle E-Business Suite server.
This is useful that you create the app registration once on the server, but you can download and apply it to other Oracle E-Business Suite instances. You can then use multiple installations of the same app on a single test device and test against different Oracle E-Business Suite instances.
This Application Bundle Id is the only field you need to modify in this page. Click OK.
Editing the MAF for Android Deployment Profile
If the selected deployment profile (such as iProcurement_Android) is for the Android platform, the MAF for Android Deployment Profile Properties page appears.
Select "Application Details" from the Android Options tree node.
MAF for Android Deployment Profile Properties Page
Similar to the update for the iOS deployment profile, you only need to replace the Package Name with a unique Id, such as com.company.ebs.xxxapp.iProcurement
in this page. Use the same value from the Id field that you modified in the maf-application.xml
file, as described earlier in the Changing Application Bundle Id.
Note: If the app supports push notifications, such as an enterprise-distributed Approvals app, the Package Name used here in the Android deployment profile is also used when creating the Android mobile client in Oracle Mobile Hub or Oracle Mobile Cloud Service. See: Creating Mobile Clients, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Administrator's Guide, Release 12.1 and 12.2.
For more information about push notifications, see Implementing Push Notifications.
Click OK to save your work.
For information on creating deployment profiles, see Working with Deployment Profiles, Developing Mobile Applications with Oracle Mobile Application Framework.
You can optionally perform the following tasks if desired for your enterprise apps:
If your mobile apps include a Cordova plug-in, such as barcode scanner, to provide support for scanning barcodes to capture data, the related plug-in library is already packaged with the associated MAA files. For information about Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps with barcode scanner, see Supporting for Barcodes, Setting Up the Mobile Apps, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Administrator's Guide, Release 12.1 and 12.2.
In order for your app to use the plug-in, before you deploy the app, perform the following steps to update the plug-in's path after creating the application:
Open Oracle JDeveloper.
In the Applications Navigator, expand the Application Resources panel, then the Descriptors folder, and then the ADF META-INF folder.
Double-click the maf-application.xml
file.
In the overview editor that appears, click the Plugins navigation tab.
For the Cordova plug-in, update the path to point to the <Application Root Folder>/src
folder where the barcode scanner is placed.
For more information on registering additional plug-ins in your MAF applications, see Using Plugins in MAF Applications, Developing Mobile Applications with Oracle Mobile Application Framework.
If your mobile app supports push notifications, you can optionally enable this feature by enabling the push plug-in to allow the app to receive push notifications on the mobile devices.
Note: Push notifications are currently supported only when using Oracle Mobile Hub or Oracle Mobile Cloud Service for the following apps. Note that in addition to Oracle Mobile Cloud Service, starting from Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 9.0 and onwards, Oracle Mobile Hub provides support for push notifications when an appropriate patch is applied.
Oracle Mobile Approvals for Oracle E-Business Suite, when provided to users through enterprise distribution
Custom Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps developed using the Login component from Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation
See: Enabling the Push Plug-in.
For more setup tasks to enable push notifications, see Implementing Push Notifications.
For Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps with enterprise distribution, custom certificates can be imported into cacerts of the mobile application. If your Oracle E-Business Suite environment is TLS-enabled, you can import additional root-CA certificates into your MAF application's truststore if the HTTPS server contains certificates not present in your MAF application's cacerts file.
Note: You do not need an Oracle MAF license to add custom certificates to a mobile application for enterprise distribution.
Note: Starting from Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 7.0 and onwards, you can dynamically add custom CA or self-signed server certificates to the standard Oracle E-Business Suite apps, downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play, for TLS connections to an Oracle E-Business Suite server.
In the releases earlier than 7.0, to use custom CA or self-signed certificates, you may create a custom app with updated certificate list and distribute that app through enterprise distribution.
For information on updating and managing certificates in the cacerts file, see Migrating to New cacerts File for SSL in MAF 2.x.x, Installing Oracle Mobile Application Framework. For example, for mobile apps developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation 9.1, see the Oracle Mobile Application Framework 2.6.3 Migration Notes (https://www.oracle.com/application-development/technologies/maf/maf263migration.html) and "Migrating to New cacerts File for SSL in MAF 2.6.0".
For more information about support for custom CA or self-signed certificates and validating if the TLS certificate is valid or trusted, see Advanced Configurations for Secure Communication with HTTPS, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Administrator's Guide, Release 12.1 and 12.2.
Starting from Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Release 8.0 and onwards, you can preconfigure the Oracle E-Business Suite server URL that an app will use to connect to Oracle E-Business Suite. Once this configuration is complete, the app users no longer need to enter this URL manually after launching the app.
Depending on whether you use Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solutions, you can configure the default server URL in the following ways:
If you do NOT use Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solutions, you can preconfigure the server URL in ebs.properties
for the following apps only:
Apps provided to users through enterprise distribution
Custom apps developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation
Configure the following properties in ebs.properties
for these apps:
oracle.ebs.login.server.url
This is the Oracle E-Business Suite server URL that an app should connect to by default. If a valid Oracle E-Business Suite server URL is entered in this property, the app users will not be prompted to enter a server URL when the app is launched for the first time.
Ensure that your enterprise-distributed app or custom app built with Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation is already "Enabled" in the Mobile Applications Manager UI pages. For information on enabling an app, see Enabling a Mobile App Individually and Specifying the Configuration Through the UI Pages, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Administrator's Guide, Release 12.1 and 12.2.
oracle.ebs.login.server.url.allow_change
If a default Oracle E-Business Suite server URL is used in the oracle.ebs.login.server.url
property, you need to explicitly indicate whether the mobile users can change it in the app. By default, the users are not allowed to change the default URL. However, set it to "Y" only if you want to allow users to change the URL.
If you plan to use Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solutions, administrators can preconfigure the server URL in an EMM console for the following apps:
Standard apps installed from the Apple App Store or Google Play
Apps provided to users through enterprise distribution
Custom apps developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation
After the configuration, app users no longer need to enter the URL manually after launching an app installed from an EMM's app catalog. For the setup information in EMM, see Setup Tasks for Deploying Mobile Apps with Enterprise Mobility Management Solutions, Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Apps Administrator's Guide, Release 12.1 and 12.2.
Note that once the configuration is performed in EMM, there is no need to set up the properties mentioned above in ebs.properties
.
Oracle E-Business Suite mobile apps have the "Remember User Name" feature turned on in the Sign In screen by default. When this feature is enabled, the user name is retrieved from cache and automatically displayed in the screen during the login process. The app user only needs to enter the password to log in to the app.
For enterprise distributed mobile apps, you can optionally update the login credentials configuration for the Sign In screen through the Create MAF Login Connection page in the maf-application.xml
file. For example, you can disable this "Remember User Name" feature if you want the user name to be entered each time when a user logs in to an app or enable other automatically login features which have been turned off during the mobile app development if you want to enhance the user login experiences.
For information on configuring the login credentials in the Sign In screen, refer to "How to Store Login Credentials" from the Securing MAF Applications chapter in Developing Mobile Applications with Oracle Mobile Application Framework.
If you would like to upgrade your enterprise-distributed mobile app from a previous version of the corresponding mobile application archive (MAA) file to a new version, there is no direct upgrade path by retaining all the documented changes you completed previously. In order to upgrade the app to a new version, you should repeat the steps as described earlier in this chapter. These tasks include:
As part of this upgrade to a new version of MAA, it is very important to use the exact same Application Bundle Id that was used in the previous version in maf-application.xml
and the deployment profiles. Once you have completed the required changes to create an enterprise app from the new version of the MAA file, you can host it at the same location as the previous version and then coordinate with the mobile applications administrator for user upgrade.
After completing the required changes for an enterprise app, you can deploy the app for the iOS, Android, or both platforms. For information on deploying your enterprise apps, see Deploying Your Mobile Apps.
Oracle Mobile Supply Chain for Oracle E-Business Suite (MSCA) mobile app supports enterprise distribution through the Mobile Application Archives (MAA) file.
Because this app is not built based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation, when you create an enterprise-distributed app from the MSCA mobile application archive, follow the instructions as described earlier in Creating Mobile Apps through MAA Files for Enterprise Distribution except the following tasks that are not applicable to the enterprise version of the MSCA app:
Important: Although the steps for creating an enterprise-distributed MSCA mobile app are not exactly the same as the tasks described earlier for creating enterprise distribution from the apps developed based on Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation, the concept of enterprise distribution discussed earlier remains the same for the MSCA app.
Note that you can implement corporate branding for the enterprise-distributed MSCA app. When replacing Oracle logo with your company logo by following the instructions described in Implementing Your Company Logo, this changes the company logo in the Server URL screen only. Additionally, the MSCA app does not leverage the Oracle E-Business Suite Mobile Foundation Login component for custom app development.
For information on the underlying Oracle MAF version for your MSCA app, see Section 1: Release Update History, Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications for Oracle E-Business Suite Release Notes, My Oracle Support Knowledge Document 2108155.1.